


You Make Me Better

by freethenoise



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Romance, Sexual Content, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:28:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28005411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freethenoise/pseuds/freethenoise
Summary: Jess Mariano was just getting over losing his ex-girlfriend when he meets Lita Perez in his favorite record store in New York. When running into each other again in Philadelphia, they grow into a close friendship. They seem like an odd couple, with Jess' moody, reserved attitude clashing with Lita's bubbly, outgoing one. But when they find out of each other's dark pasts, they both realize that they're more in common, and perhaps they'd grow into something more?
Relationships: Jess Mariano & Original Female Character(s), Jess Mariano/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	1. The Girl in The Record Store

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys, welcome to my first fanfiction for Gilmore Girls and my second story on this site in more than five years! So, after watching the show, especially seasons 2 and 3, I decided that Jess Mariano deserves better, and be warned, this story is not that very kind to Rory Gilmore. Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While looking for new Classic Rock albums to listen to, a dejected Jess Mariano sees a girl rocking out to Green Day.

  
Jess looked through the many tape cassettes in the classic rock aisle of his favorite record store, trying desperately to clear his mind away from what happened to him these past few months, not because of his mother's wedding, not because of his reconciliation with his uncle Luke. 

Jess sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair with fatigue. He felt so stupid. He felt like such a loser after he asked his ex-girlfriend Rory to come be with him here in New York. Not even all the self help books he read would help him get Rory back. The damage was done, she rejected him and went on back to Dean, the first one, after all the dumb shit he did to her. After all, he was there with her down at the dorms at Yale. 

He felt so lost, he didn't have a job, he had nobody to lean on; his Uncle Luke and his newlywed mother were both in Stars Hollow, his deadbeat of a dad was all the way in California, Rory wanted nothing to do with him. He just scrounged up some money he earned from his time at Walmart to land a crummy apartment uptown. Considering that it was summertime, his Puerto Rican neighbors would be blasting music all day and night. 

Jess huffed as he decided not to get anything all together. What was the point if he wouldn't hear anything from his tape player anyway? The brassy salsa music would drown it all out. As he began to walk out of the record store, for some reason he stopped to see a girl not much older than him by the window bobbing her head, humming, and rocking out to "When I Come Around" by Green Day. 

She was just as tall as he was, wore a jean jacket over her black and white striped shirt that cover her every curve, along with her tight blue jeans, and white Nikes. Some of her wavy raven hair was pulled up in a messy high ponytail while the rest was loose. Jess almost felt his prior feelings woosh out of him. After all, he was just a guy. 

The girl turned to see Jess standing there. She smiled apologetically as she took off the headset. 

"You were gonna use this?" the girl asked. Jess noticed a Southern twang in her voice. 

"Oh, no, I was just leaving," Jess replied, gesturing to the door. "I see you're catching your life to that song, it must be pretty good."

The girl giggled a little. "It's Green Day, from their album 'Dookie' back in '94. It's old, but I'm on a Green Day kick." 

Jess smiled a little. "It's a really good album, you've got good taste." 

The girl smiled that same infectious smile. "Thanks." 

"You're welcome, I'll leave you to it." 

"Alright, see ya!" 

Jess turned to see the girl continuing to rock out to Green Day. He smiled a little as he made his way to the subway to go home. He had a odd feeling. He had no idea why he couldn't stop thinking about that girl in the record store. He felt his feelings of Rory slowly dissipate from his mind. 

~*~

That night, Jess was proven right about his Puerto Rican neighbors. He couldn't hear Alex Trebek give the clues on "Jeopardy" on his small TV set, due to the blasting sounds of Celia Cruz. Annoyed, Jess groaned as he got up from his makeshift bed, a mattress on the floor, to walk over to the kitchen to see what leftover takeout he can eat. He sighed to see that there were only scraps of Orange Chicken and fried rice he ordered a couple days ago. 

"Guess, I'm gonna eat out today," Jess said to himself, closing the small refrigerator. 

Jess gathered his belongings; his wallet, his cell phone, and a good book. He put on his most comfortable outfit, tucked his book in the back pocket of his jeans, and took off for the nearby Chinese Restaurant, where he can hear himself think. 

As Jess walked towards the exit of the rundown apartment complex, he felt himself bump into a hard object. 

"Oh, my God, I'm so sorry, are you okay?" a girl's voice asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright, no harm done," Jess replied absentmindedly, dusting himself off. 

Much to his surprise, he bumped into the same girl from the record store earlier today. Their eyes locked on each other for a moment, none of them speaking one word.

Jess cocked his left eyebrow. "Fancy seeing you here." 

The girl crossed his arms. "Likewise, record store boy." 

Jess licked his lips as he saw her in her new outfit, a white crystal embroidered tank top and black jeans. Her dark hair was pulled back into a slick bun, with the same red lipstick on. 

"So you live around here?" he asked. 

"No, I'm just visiting my cousin and her family, we're celebrating her finishing nursing school." 

"Oh, that explains the loud music." 

The girl let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, my mom's side of the family goes all out." 

Jess nodded and smiled knowingly. He then glanced at the CD copy of the album "London Calling" by The Clash in the girl's handbag. 

"You're a Clash fan, I see," he commented. 

"Oh," the girl looked down at her bag. "It's for my cousin, she wanted this album so bad, she's a big Clash fan, it's a present for her." 

"Ah, okay."

A sly smile graced her soft features. "I have the vinyl copy at home." 

She winked at Jess, making him smirk and nod. 

"Well, I won't keep you waiting," Jess said, as he saw that it was getting dark. "Have a good party." 

"Thanks, see you around!" she smiled. 

"See ya." Jess waved goodbye to the girl. 

As Jess walked away, he heard the girl call out to him. 

"Nice book! Ernest Hemingway's great!" 

Jess turned to see the girl grin, wave goodbye and make her way to her family's apartment. He turned pink at the gesture as he bit his lip. He walked out of the apartment on his way to the Chinese Restaurant. 


	2. New York State of Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At her cousin Julia's celebratory party, Lita does some thinking, with the thoughts including the boy she met at the record store, while Jess struggles to move on after Rory.

  
Lita sat at the kitchen table swirling her Coca-Cola in a red solo cup with her straw. She eyed her bunch of cousins, uncles, and aunts busting moves to "Techno Cumbia" by Selena in the living room. But for some reason, she felt a little subdued. Tonight was her last night in New York before she had to go home in early the morning tomorrow as her bus leaves at seven in the morning, back to her stuffy apartment and back to her job as a waitress at a lowly coffee shop. 

Back in Philadelphia, it was nothing more of a reminder of her feeling dead inside. She graduated from cosmetology school this past May and she couldn't find a job anywhere. The loans and fees were unbearable, and the bills were piling high. Her cousin Julia was a newly registered nurse, and her profession was on high demand. Lita lamented to herself for days, that following one's dreams can't get anybody anywhere financial wise. 

Here in New York, she felt alive. All the memories of her spending her teenage years here comforted her. No responsibilities, no worries, nobody talking down on her, just her just living life, and looking to the future. Just a few hours ago, she was having the time of her life living with her Abuela after moving from Texas before starting her sophomore year of high school. 

After finishing high school in New York, Lita and her Abuela moved to Philadelphia, to take care of her ailing Uncle, who finally earned his eternal peace just two years. Her Abuela came to love Philadelphia, as it was more quieter and peaceful than here in New York City. At least in her opinion. Lita recently got herself an apartment of her own, in the same building as her Abuela, so that she wouldn't stray away from her. 

Here in New York, in Lita's opinion, there were always cute, gorgeous men she saw down the street. Especially that boy in the record store. He was probably one of the best looking guys she had ever seen. If not THE best. 

He had great wavy, neck length dark hair, that looked soft to the touch, warm brown eyes which were flecked with green, giving it a honey color. Lita loved his thick, expressive eyebrows, and how his left eyebrow would furrow a little when he spoke, as well as his full lips, that would curve into a sexy crooked smile. He had that blue graphic t-shirt, that made Lita see his well built torso through it. He wasn't that tall though, probably 5'8 or 5'9, compared to Lita's 5'7 stature. But she wasn't looking for basketball player sized men like how other girls foam at the mouths for. She felt herself get hot, even in the warm atmosphere of the apartment when remembering his tight black jeans, seeing each of his imprints, back and front. She couldn't stop looking down as he walked away from her out of the record store. 

"What're you smilin' about, _loca_?" 

Lita picked her head up to see the lady of the hour, her cousin Julia laugh as she plopped down in a seat across from her. Lita sucked her teeth in annoyance at her cousin's pet name for her. 

"You always catch me off guard, Julia!" Lita exclaimed, with a laugh. 

"It's so easy, you're always in another world," Julia pointed out. 

"Yeah, you're right." Lita sucked her teeth at that realization about herself. 

Julia chuckled. "Hey, don't we all?" 

Lita smiled at her cousin, feeling better about herself. 

Julia rested her chin on the palm of her hand, eyeing Lita longingly. "What were you thinking?" 

Lita felt herself blush in embarrassment. "Um, nothing important," she replied quickly, taking a sip of her now flat Coke, fighting the urge to recoil at the taste. 

Julia looked at her cousin amusedly. "Ok, lemme think..." she said, her eyes darting up to the sky, as if she was deep in thought. "You met an extra fine ass guy on your way here."

Lita stared at Julia in shock, making Julia laugh out loud. "I knew it!" she exclaimed. 

"How the hell did you know that?" Lita asked furiously. 

"What else would make you smile to yourself like you just smoked a major blunt?" Julia joked, making Lita shove her playfully. 

Lita groaned. "Ok, ok, I met him twice while I was buying your Clash CD at the record store, and right outside in the hallway. He's so hot, Julia, like, oh, my God!" she gushed. "And he reads too, he got Ernest Hemingway in his back pocket, I haven't read anything from that guy yet, but I guess he's great!" 

"Girl, you were just looking at his ass," Julia said flatly. 

"I guess I can't help being a pervert," Lita replied, holding her hands up in surrender. 

Julia chuckled and shook her head at her cousin's madness. "What's his name?" 

Lita's face fell when realizing that she didn't even know his name. Julia looked at her cousin in disbelief. 

"Girl, you were talking about how hot and literate this guy is and you didn't ask for his name and number?" Julia huffed in disappointment as she did a face palm.

Lita waved her hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter anyway, I'm leaving for Philly tomorrow morning, I'll probably never see him again." 

"Umm, haven't you heard of long distance?" Julia asked with a narrowed look. "And New York isn't that far, it's like one bus ride away."

"Julia, even if I asked the guy, he looked sad and angry at the record store and in the hallway too," Lita replied matter-of-factly. "The last thing he needs is some girl asking for his number to get in his pants." 

Julia smirked at Lita knowingly. "You ready to risk it all, huh?" 

Lita sucked her teeth. "And I don't even know his name!" she whined, feeling like an idiot. 

Julia took Lita's hand and squeezed it. "Hey, anything can happen, trust me," she said reassuringly. 

Just then, the speakers started playing "No Me Digas Que No" by La Makina, one of Julia's favorite songs. Her eyes widened in excitement as she grabbed Lita's hand and yanked her from her seat. 

"Julia! What the fuck!" Lita protested, in an annoyed tone. 

"Come dance with me," Julia replied, ignoring Lita's tone. "You need to burn off those _tostones_ , I saw you." 

Lita rolled her eyes as she was dragged to the dance floor, while feeling personally attacked. She did overdo it with those deep fried plantains. As the pair danced in the midst of their family, she couldn't stop thinking about that guy. She imagined herself dancing with him, if he didn't have two left feet. But then again, she was going back to Philly and she'll probably may never see him again. Despite her disappointment, she smiled as Julia twirled her around. 

~*~

After handing the waiter his paid bill, Jess sighed in sadness as his mind wandered back to Rory. He couldn't stand the fact that she was falling back in love with Dean. Maybe Luke was right. He didn't open his mouth that much. If only Jess was more open, then none of this would happen. 

But then, his mind ended up to that girl in the record store. She didn't look that much older than him. Everytime, he'd imagine that infectious smile, all his feelings of the past went away. As if there was something looking up for him. He had no idea why. 

Then again, the girl said she was visiting. She was going back to where she lived, probably not in New York. Jess sighed sadly, as all his laments came back to mind. 

"Guess I just have to move on, I guess," Jess thought to himself. 

First things first, Jess needed to get out this God forsaken place called New York City, which harbored nothing but bad memories for him. 

Jess tucked his book in his back pocket as he left the restaurant, trying to think of a plan. It would take a while but he'd find a way. Maybe he'd run into that girl again, and probably catch her name. 

But when he got back, there wasn't any music playing. The party was over, that girl probably went home. Jess huffed as he went back inside his apartment to get ready for bed. Just his luck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys, I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! Hopefully, the action would pick up on the next one. If you like where this is going, please leave a comment or kudo! Thanks!


	3. Morning Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months pass when Jess and Lita first met in New York. After flipping off two junkies, her first morning shift has a pleasant turn when Lita sees that Jess has moved to Philadelphia.

Four Months Later 

Lita applied a second even coating of her red lipstick on her full lips, the final touches of her makeup as the bus moved. She did a quick mental prayer, praying that the bus doesn't hit bumps on the road. Today was the first day of her new morning shift, after months of working the afternoon shift until closing time. 

Lita thought this was a blessing and a curse at the same time. A blessing being that she was going to be with her good friends Sade and Danielle, and second, she'd have her afternoon free. A curse being that she was not a morning person, and it would normal reoccurrence that she'd hastily do her makeup on the bus. Lita hated it, but she had to do what she had to do. 

She pulled on the cord to signal the bus driver to stop at the incoming bus stop near the coffee shop. She got up and thanked the driver on her way out, before going on her five minute walk to the shop. Much to her annoyance, she passed the liquor store to hear two guys calling her.

"Ayo, Mami, look here!" Lita heard him call. 

She whirled around to see them, she mentally recoiled at the sight of them, a Puerto Rican guy and a gangsta rap white guy that tried so hard to act black, but would probably get scoffed and laughed at by the black community. One of them were an ugly jacket that was out of style since 1995. Then that person had the nerve to say to her, 

"Come my way, baby." 

"Sorry, I gotta go to work," Lita replied, trying so hard to be nice, instead of flipping him off. 

But unfortunately, the man was persistent. "But come on, that ass looks great in that uniform," he said. 

Lita put on a smug smirk for the guy to screw with him. "Not a chance, horndog." 

She rolled her eyes and went on her way to work. She almost laughed when she heard the Puerto Rican guy yell out,

"Oh, alright! Alright, go then! With your Selena lookin' ass!" 

Lita flipped him the bird, and she heard the white guy say to his buddy, 

"Hey, hey, chill, it's not worth it, she ugly anyways." 

"Hmm, the last guys I fucked thought otherwise," Lita thought to herself, not even bothering to care about what two ugly cokeheads thought. 

Lita stepped inside the coffee shop to see her girls getting the shop ready for opening time. She inhaled the welcoming scent of the coffee brewing and the pastries being baked by the cooks. 

"Mornin'," Lita called, taking off her jacket and hanging it up on the rack by the kitchen. 

"Hey, baby girl," Danielle greeted. The pair exchanged kisses on the cheek. 

"What's up? You're out of breath," Sade said, after receiving kisses from Lita. 

"Oh, you know, let's just say I'm not a morning person," Lita replied. "And I ran into some crackheads by the liquor store." 

"Did that Puerto Rican _cabrón_ try to holla?" Danielle asked knowingly. 

"Yup, how'd you know?" 

"He did the same shit to me until I told him 'hell no,' " Danielle said, rolling her eyes. 

"Don't take it personal, Li," Sade added. "He tries to shoot his shot at every girl and fails." 

"Oh, no, sweetie, I told him off and he'd told me to go with my Selena lookin' ass." Lita scoffed. 

Danielle sucked her teeth. "He actually complimented you, I wish I looked like Selena." 

"God rest her soul," Sade added. 

Lita sighed sadly and made the sign of the Cross looking up. Their conversation was cut short when the manager came bounding in the lobby saying, 

"Alright, girls, everything ready?" 

"Yes, ma'am," Sade replied. "We're all set." 

"Well, get ready to take orders, 'cause here they come," the manager said, pointing out the window to see a few people coming towards the shop. 

Sade rushed to unlock the door, and thus the day began. Everything went smoothly, Lita striding comfortably through her new shift, serving her customers. And then, at a little after nine o'clock, her heart nearly shot out of her when she saw none other than the record store boy coming in her coffee shop. Her heart pounded as he sat down at the one of the booths by the window, took off his leather jacket, revealing a white graphic tshirt. He took out a book and started reading, waiting to be served. 

"Oh, shit, he's so hot," Danielle said, practically foaming at the mouth. "And he reads too!"

"I've seen him around since last month," Sade added, he works at that new publishing place down the block. "One of my friends from school work there." 

"Do you know his name?" Lita asked absentmindedly. "I actually met him in New York." 

"Well, he's right there, Lita, you better hurry up and take his order or Glenda's gonna be on your ass if he leaves," Danielle urged. 

"He's all yours, Li." Sade smirked as she shoved her a little. 

Lita gave Sade a mock glare, as she unsteadily walked over to the guy's table to take his order. As soon as she approached his table, Lita noticed that he had a haircut, his neck length hair was now gelled up into a wild, wavy pompadour style hairdo, with a little bit of stubble on his face. 

"Good morning, my name's Lita, and I'll be your waitress for today, what can I get you?" she introduced, trying to keep it cool. 

The guy looked up from his book, to give that same sexy crooked smile. "That's a nice name, Lita," he said, with that hot, scratchy voice. 

"And you are, record store boy?" Lita asked. 

"I'm Jess," the guy replied.

"Jess? As in Jessica?" Lita joked. 

Jess breathed out a chuckle, as he looked down. "Funny," he said, picking his head up at Lita. 

"Hey, I've waited a long time to make that joke." 

"So you were visiting from Philly, huh?" 

" Yeah, and now I feel so stupid that I didn't ask for your name. I'd thought I'd never see you again." 

"Hey, you and me both." 

"So, what brings you to Philly?" 

"Oh, you know, just eager for something new," Jess replied casually, drumming his fingers on the table.

Lita smiled at Jess' confidence. "What are you getting, Jess?" 

"I'll have some black coffee, and a vanilla glazed donut," Jess replied. 

Lita jotted down Jess' order on her notepad. "Comin' right up," she said as she turned to hand his order to the barista.

"Really good to see you, Lita," Jess called to her. 

Lita turned around to see Jess flash her a crooked half smile, and returned to reading his book. Lita pressed her lips to hide her jubilant smile as she walked back to the kitchen. After getting Jess' order to the cook to prepare. Lita's smile faded when she saw Danielle and Sade looking at her longingly, with knowing smirks. 

"What are y'all looking at?" Lita spoke up. 

"You should totally get his number," Danielle said with a sly smile. 

"Maybe, I should," Lita replied, remembering Julia's advice.   
.  
"Yeah, you know, I think he likes you too." Sade nudged Lita. 

"Alright, alright." Lita waved a hand at her friends. 

"Order up, black coffee and vanilla donut," the cook called. 

"Oop, that's me," Lita said, hurrying over to the cook. 

She took the paper carton tray carefully to serve it to Jess. As she set the tray down, Jess said to her,

"Well, that was quick."

"Yeah, that's why we're popular around here," Lita replied. 

"Thanks, Lita." Jess flashed his half smile while taking the coffee from the paper carton. 

"Don't mention it. I'll be back with your receipt." 

Lita took care of other customers, after giving Jess his receipt, with Jess paying the bill. After serving a couple, a thought just came in her mind. 

"Fuck," Lita cursed under her breath, at the fact that she just forgot to get his number. 

She sighed as she trudged to clean off his table. Lita's eyes widened to see a business card on the table. She took the card desperately and saw the phone number of the publishing house. Lita rolled her eyes, before her heart shot out of her when she turned the card around to see a phone number written neatly. Lita grinned in relief at this gesture. She couldn't wait to call Julia tonight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, Jess and Lita meet again. And yes, I imagine Lita having similar resemblances to Selena Quintanilla, not Selena Gomez, if you're wondering. Thanks so much for reading and stay tuned for the next one!


End file.
